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10.12.2006

Daily update, 10/12

Hey everyone. Getting a little cooler around here, which is fine by me. I want summer in the mid 80s and winter in the mid 60s. Maybe I can cover Auburn from Belize next year.

I have a few Auburn items to discuss. And a few from last night's ep of "Lost"

AUBURN DISCUSSIONThere's some talk going around, I guess you'd say, that TB Kenny Irons isn't quite as adept at hitting the correct hole as you might think. Like if Auburn's play calls for him to run between the right guard and right tackle, he has a tendency to ditch that plan. He kinda ends up where he ends up. Obviously, that's not good for the running game.

I wouldn't know the truth about this, of course, because I don't get the play calls. Guys like Al Borges or Eddie Gran won't acknolwedge this. I certainly wouldn't in their position.

Guard Tim Duckworth was asked a string of questions the other day about Auburn's rushing problems. At one point, someone asked if part of the problem surrounds tailbacks that don't follow the play design.

Q: I know the line is having issues, but what about tailbacks who don't go where they're supposed to?

A: "True enough, but we have to make holes big enough so that he can run sideways in there and still get yards," he said. ``It's on us."

ON HAWTHORNE: Sounds like Tim Hawthorne will stay on the scout team. He wants to be one of these playmakers Tommy Tuberville said he needs, but Hawthorne said it is too late in the season to start playing with the varsity. He's already half-way through his redshirt season. Plus, as Hawthorne said, the current varsity wideouts are "good enough."***********************LOST DISCUSSION"The Glass Ballerina" (Episode 302, air date 10/9/06)

The flashback element focused on Sun and her relationship with Jae, the dude who tought her English. They actually were having an affair. Sun's dad (also Jin's employer) walked in on the situation, then dispatched Jin to handle Jae. Jin beat him up, told Jae to leave the country and never return. As Jin was leaving Jae's hotel, Jae decided to jump off his balcony. On Jin's car. Ain't love grand?

As far as "The Others" go, we learned a few things.*Juliet is a baller. She doesn't mess around.*The Others love them some tasers.*Sawyer went ahead and kissed Kate. He was beaten up for doing that -- The Others don't like that kind of fraternization -- but Sawyer seemed OK with the fallout.*Jack still isn't eating. Just kinda chillin' in his cell.*Still no sight or mention or anything about Locke, Claire, Charlie, Eko, Desmond.*Sun was on Desmond's boat when some Others jacked it. The first Other to meet Sun was "Colleen," who approached Sun and knew her full name, etc. Weird. Sun eventually shot Colleen for getting too close to her, though I wasn't convinced the shot did any real damage. Colleen seemed to be bleeding, yes, but she was wearing body armor.*Best scene was the final one. Ben told Jack that "The Others" have frequent contact with the outside world. Ben then showed Jack footage of the Red Sox winning the World Series (show currently is set in Nov. 2004), and Ben told Jack that he'd take Jack "home" if he was cooperative. Jack, of course, was shocked to see video of the Red Sox.*It's clear now that Ben and Juliet were together at one point. Ben seems friendlier with Colleen. And it's clear that Juliet and Colleen are not homies.

OTHER LOST POINTS*Jeff Jensen, EW's Lost expert, doesn't think "Mr. Friendly" (aka Tom) is gay. Tom told Kate last week that she "isn't my type," which got fans all antsy about Tom's orientation. If I know Lost at all, the obvious parallel is NOT the real thing.*He also points out that when Juliet pulled out the Petula Clark disc last week (she listened to "Downtown" to open the ep) she snatched it from a different case. Which case? Talking Heads' Speaking In Tongues, which includes the hit song "Burning Down The House." I found it interesting.*Also, who is this "He" to whom the Others keep referring? The Others' true leader has not been identified. Ben, it seems, is a middle manager.

10.09.2006

Auburn report, 10/9

Hey everyone.

I was just thinking about this Tristan Davis situation. I wrote a story in Monday's paper, which talked about how Auburn needs playmakers.

No kidding.

So why isn't Davis on the field? He's a reserve safety but hasn't played a SINGLE SNAP since the Buffalo game. He's the top reserve safety but Auburn sticks with Eric Brock and Aairon Savage excluisvely these days.

Listen, Tristan Davis can be a playmaker. He had a great game against Kentucky last year as a tailback. He showed speed and elusiveness and raw aggression. Beating UK is not a resume maker -- believe me, I know -- but at least he's made some plays at some point in his career. Can you say that about all the other guys you see on offense these days?

Leaving Davis on the sideline for 98% of a game (he returns kickoffs) is a notable waste of talent. I find it surprising that Auburn so often says its offense is just too hard for guys like Davis and wideout Tim Hawthorne to understand. If those guys can make plays, then simplify things for them. What's the use of having 1,000 formations and 4,000 plays when good players can't make sense of it all?

I'm not piling on because of the Arkansas loss. I've been thinking about this since ... the UK game last year.

10.08.2006

Auburn report, 10/8

Hey everyone. Well, the Auburn fans are not a happy lot today. Makes sense. The Tigers were completely exposed against Arkansas on Saturday morning/afternoon, and there aren't a lot of easy answers here.

AFTERNOON UPDATE: LB Tray Blackmon will return for the Florida game. Sounds like he'll be given a chance to earn the starting job ... TB Brad Lester suffered a leg injury against Arkansas. Not sure if he'll play against Florida. Tuberville said Pat Lee will return kickoffs if Lester can't play ... C Jason Bosley earned a vote-of-confidence from Tuberville this afternoon. He'll start against Florida. Tuberville said Palmer (who subbed in for Bosley yesterday) again will start at RT.

The most vexing thing for me is the defensive front. Something happened there on Saturday that I don't understand fully. Where were the linebackers? My only memory of Will Herring was him not being able to catch Felix Jones on that touchdown sweep in the third quarter. Same thing for Karibi Dede trying to catch Reggie Fish on the trick play. I know the linebackers are small. They're supposed to be fast, though.

Offensive line has some issues. That Hugh Nall would shuffle the lineup in the second half is a big deal. He's not a shuffler.

Not sure what will happen here. I know Nall really likes Bosley, so I don't think the kid is headed for the bench. I think Palmer has been the weakest link along the line, though, and it's possible that Hart could be a more consistent factor on the right side. It's too bad that Oscar Gonzalez dislocated his toe during two-a-days. He lost so much time.

What are your thoughts on Al Borges now? I don't feel like Auburn is adapting to its situation well, but I can't bring myself to blame Borges. He has two years of really shrewd play-calling under his belt at Auburn. He hasn't lost it or anything. I think he's in a bad spot because his wideouts can't get open consistently. Teams are doubling Courtney Taylor. Guys like Rod Smith, Montez Billings and Prechae Rodriguez aren't making many plays. I know Smith made a GREAT touchdown catch against Arkansas. He's not really a threat.

Which leads to this question: Why is Tim Hawthorne redshirting?

Brandon Cox had a bad day. Period. He just wasn't sharp. It's happening somewhat often now. He was off against Buffalo, on against USC, off against Arkansas. I'm sure that's very frustrating for Borges. A 22-year-old junior with 16 starts should be sharp almost every time out.

Auburn fans shouldn't get too down. Tuberville is best when his back is against the wall. Arkansas is THE team that messes with Auburn for reasons I discussed in my Game Day story. Let's see what Florida accomplishes this weekend before making any serious conclusions about this staff's performance. The team is 5-1. It was No. 2 a few days ago. If a pattern of badness is established, that's one thing. That hasn't happened yet.

TODAY'S "WHAT ARE THEY THINKING" MESSAGE-BOARD POSTSite: AuburnSports.comPoster: ronfromramer (whom I have met, and like)The statement: Just think where AU might be today if Jetgate had not been exposed and Petrino was our head coach! I don't think I even like the guy, but he is one of the best offensive minds in college football and look what he's done at Louisville. Running the system that we have at AU just doesn't attract the top OL and offensive skill players. For the most part, I've been a CTT supporter, but I'm always waiting for the patented Tubby egg to be laid, like yesterday. You know it's coming, you just don't know when! I wonder if Petrino would come if the opportunity arose?